A FAREWELL TO KINGS

Why is this album so underappreciated on progarchives? A Farewell to Kings is one of the greatest prog albums of all time and ought to rank in the top 10 (it's certainly better than Moving Pictures!)

Although relatively new to prog when I first found this sight I knew my Floyd and Genesis thoroughly, my Rush well, and Yes weakly. What I found is that the top rated albums are all indeed superb and even ranked in a manner similar to what I'd rank them as. As I added artists to repertoire (Tull, Crimson, Camel, etc.) I graciously thanked progarchives for being such a remarkable guide for prog songs. That is until I came across the and partially disregarded A Farewell to Kings. My message:

Don't be fooled, A Farewell to Kings is masterful!

This album showcases Rush at their finest: Geddy singing with his signature voice and propelling songs with his bass; Peart playing powerful and appropriately; Lifeson running structuredly wild; and, most importantly, Rush layering the aforementioned individual performances.

Below is a brief review of the individual tracks.

A Farewell to Kings rocks as the album starter and I especially love the acoustic introduction. When I listened to the album for the first time I became very excited and anxious to see if the album holds up. It is bold starting so soft and melodically. To my great relief and happiness, the rest does.

Xanadu - my favorite Rush track. The vocals soar, the precision of the synths and keyboards often makes it sound as if they're playing themselves. I don't find 11 minute tracks very often that I simply cannot wait to hear again - immediately.

Closer to the Heart is catchy enough, although it strikes me as their effort to hit the radio, which isn't always bad. Great songs like WYWH fall into the same category (although granted WYWH holds onto its integrity 100%, while Closer certainly loses some).

Cinderalla Man rocks effectively, Madrigal personifies the important role of melodic filler before epicness. This of course being Cygnus X-1. Rush went in the futuristic direction that I don't hear as often as the medieval, and they did it superbly. A thorough prog song to finish Rush's best album.